So... everyone find a photo they don't mind sharing, and in a 100 words or less, tell us a little bit about yourself! What part of the world are you in? What are your hobbies? Tell us about your family and pets! Or anything you'd like to share!

I'll start... although, I don't have current photo as of today, so I'll see about getting one taken.

I'm a 48 year old stepmother of 3, grandmother of 3, married to a fabulous Hippeastrum/Orchid enabler! I live in Central Illinois, in the middle of corn country!

My hobbies include collecting and growing Amaryllids, roses, and gardening of any kind... jewelry design, flower arranging, and consuming chocolate!

My husband and I are semi-retired canine breeders, and we currently have only one pair of Olde Bulldogges, Huck and Maia. Quite a switch from a full yard of over 40 American Bulldogs and Oldies!

I'm a confirmed coffee-holic, and I'm up all hours of the day and night. I have Lupus, and both my husband and myself are partially disabled... he, from an industrial accident, and myself from a fairly recent auto accident.

Life has been filled with ups and downs for us, but one of my main sources of joy is coming here to share my Hippis with my Hippi friends!

Who's next?

I have a grown daughter and a son, 3 grand daughters. Married to a wonderful person but does not share same plant passions as I do.

We live in Sub tropic SW Florida.
We have 3 very talkative parrots named Sunshine, Rainbow and Gator.

My hobbies are collecting Amaryllis, Hoyas, Tropicals, traveling, grand kids & family. Not necessarily in that order. HEHE

I am blessed & fortunate with good health and good friends everywhere.

I am an early riser, go to bed early to rise early.

I really enjoy this forum very much even though I don't contribute whole lot.

a good opportunity to introduce myself as well. I am from Germany, currently turned 46. I concentrate on Sansevieria, orchids, and recently Hippeastrum, especially the species.

All the best, Helli

I've been on this forum for a month and I love it! i'm a fan of hippies, I have around 15 cultivars, that I will show you soon, plenty of them are blooming or will be in the weeks to come!

I'm a busy mom of 3, living in Switzerland! so excuse me for my broken english!

I really enjoy reading your posts and watching your pictures.

Happy holidays to all of you!
Therese

I first became interested in Hippies when I purchased a box kit for my preschool class; we all fell in love with the Red Lion that grew. My youngest brother and I are in the picture you see.

I tend to collect hobbies I have and currently dabble in cross stitching, quilting, sewing, stain glass making, hippie and herb gardening, and crocheting. I don’t have any pets, I call my plants my pets for now since I have been doing a lot of traveling, and getting any other pets would be difficult for now.

I am now giving my mother amaryllis bulbs and getting her interested in amaryllis. Unfortunately for me my most recent purchase of bulbs made its way to my Arizona address and my mother is trying to convince me that these bulbs are just another Christmas gift for her. :) I’ll stop now.

AJ

I can tell you I have been "gardening" for a good 50 years since I do remember growing sweet potatoes in jars as a youngster and even planting one out in the garden (w/help from my Day)when I was perhaps 10 years old. We actually had a very good harvest from that singe water grown vine. Now I only grow the ornamental type Sweet Potato Vines. I have even harvested seeds from the purple leaved variety and will be planting them in the spring (the cutting I had taken died on me).

I am addicted to growing plants from seed or cuttings or both! I also love trying to see what I can hybridize and grow from seeds.

Sorry, no pix of myself and the cat doesn't know how to operate the camera!

I've been posting here since... oh Lord... sometimes in 2005. Is it really almost 2010?

Anyway, I'm Ryan, I'm 30, I live in Colorado and I'm addicted to plants.... oh... this isn't that kind of meeting ;o)

I focus mainly on hippeastrum but loads of space has been taken up my orchids this past year-- mostly phals. But when I'm not spending the 5 minutes I have for my plants every other day, I'm either at work or...

...taking care of this little girl...and taking loads of photos of her cute little parts...

... because she's growing up so fast and who much like the beautiful blooms we all grow so carefully, she's growing up so fast and needs to be loved an appreciated as much as possible, here...now :o) *single tear*

We spend a lot of time doing things like this... because I am addicted to her laughs and giggles.

Anyway, lots of other things make me who I am but this seems to be the highest points :o)

Merry Christmas all--

Ryan

I also love hydrangeas and I propagated close to 100 plants of different varieties this summer and they are all siting in cold frames until next year. I plan to give most of them away and luckily our rhody group will take just about anything. Hydrangeas root like weeds so using the word propagating really doesn't apply.

I have always had about a dozen or so hippies and have just this year really branched out! I think I may have close to 50. My husband is very helpful in moving the heavy pots around since I can't do much with 2 herniated discs in my neck. I used to lug all the heavy trays of rooted rhodys and now all this falls on my husband. Without his help this hobby would be inpossible. I just love all the beautiful flowers it warms one's heart and when I go to sleep at night I see either rhodys, hydrangeas or hippies, depending on the season!

We have a cat that adopted us several months ago and we later found out that he had been abandoned twice(!) in his life. Toby is a very big boy is over 15 pounds and he seems to know that I can't pick him up, he is a lap cat! My husband and I are in love with him! He brings us much joy.

Both of us are new to computers. only a couple of years as you probably guess with my trouble posting pictures!

I love this forum and the people on it! Such a source of encouragement and information.....I guess I can blame you guys for this newest addiction! Well I guess that's enough rambling on and by the way I am 62 and hubby is 65 and the vet thinks Toby is 6-8 years old

Donna

We bought our house in 2008 and I'm having fun filling the back yard with roses, clematis, daylilies, liliums, and others. It's a small yard and quickly filling!

Checking out gardening groups, I chanced upon a co-op for amaryllises in 2008. I bought 6. All bloomed; I put them outside for the summer. I bought 6 more this fall. All are still alive and in various stages of growth, dormancy, budding, etc. So I'm here to figure out how to care for them and (maybe) get them to rebloom -- for years to come! ;-)

Judy

Here are our two Gordon Setters, Pup Shannie (Xi'an), and Teenager Josephine. They are a constant source of amusement and love to say the least! The little one, Shannie, I co-own with my son and her future is to become an assistance dog for him, to help live independently with the congenital neuromuscular disease he was born with. We adopted him at age 6 and he is a wonderful companion to me now at age 26. He is the tail end of our big family of adopted and home made kids.

This summer our oldest son got married. This pic was taken at the wedding, my son cutting a slice from his cake for me. THe cake was made by youngest daughter and decorated with flowers form my garden.

It’s done well in spite of 25 years of neglect. I have amassed a collection of over 85 named varieties and made numerous crosses last year that I am patiently waiting to mature and bloom. I set up a little greenhouse to overwinter all my bulbs.

I make my crosses very thoughtfully with careful consideration of color and form. I was able to rescue a nearly obsolete antique hybrid Hippeastrum bulb and register it with KAVB this year as "Gordie".

I am looking forward to attending the Keukenhof Amaryllis Parade on March 19, 2010. Aside from the hippis I have many other hobbies.

First and foremost are my 2 Gordon setters (that's Stormy and her daughter Laka, who won a Best in Show (Specialty) this year), photography, scuba diving, stained glass, beading, and travel (I have been to all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, South America , Australia , and New Zealand ).

I have just turned 50 and celebrated by going to Cabo San Lucas with my best friend (that's Ende the dolphin [with the rubbed spot on her chin], not Michelle my friend).

I am a medical writer by day (working hard to cure cancer), and a ______ by night (I don’t even know what goes there!). Several people in this group are like family to me, as I have no immediate family. I am sensitive and passionate about matters that are important to me…and care about living things in general.

Kristi
Spring, TX

I'm the "other" Ryan on here. I'm 34 and live in Mesa, Arizona (born and raised here!). Although I'll be making the move into the big city here very shortly, having purchased my first house in Phoenix just two weeks ago!! I lucked out and managed to find a small house on a BIG lot in the center of town. It's a blank slate, just dirt and a few weeds right now, and I can't wait to get started creating my vision for it.

I've been gardening most of my life. My parents gave me a little bit of dirt under the mailbox as a toddler to plant and it's only grown from there!

There really isn't much that I don't grow, or at least "try" to grow... but since we get so darn hot in the summer around here, I'm beginning to dabble in growing stuff indoors in the summer under grow lights. My "season's" are pretty much reverse from most everywhere else in the country. I put my plants outside in the fall and bring stuff in when summer hits!

I'm really into growing edible stuff. I currently grow grapes, nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots, grapefruit, lemon, banana, pomegranate, blueberries, as well as the usual veggies.

I don't have kids of the two-legged variety, but plenty of the four-legged kind... about 8 cats, a dog, a turtle, loads of koi and goldfish, and in about an hour I'm adopting a rabbit (long story!).

Career-wise, I do accounting for about a dozen construction companies here and in Nevada and California.

It's great to see so many new folks here on the forum! I've only been on here for a little over a year now, and truly cherish the wonderful friendships that I have made so far. I look forward to getting to know more of you in the coming year.

Phoenix Ryan

Hello all,

I live in Melbourne, southeast Australia, and moved here from Sydney about 12 years ago. I'm 48, not that numbers matter, and married to a wonderful man who appreciates gardening/plants, but is not really 'into it'.

Gardening has always been a part of life, following mum around to 'help' (what patience she must have had) and helping out when preparing flowers and fruit for market. Hubby and I rented for many years, and carried pots, cuttings and seed from place to place to place until just over six years ago when we bought our first house.

We're about 20km (12 miles) from the city, with a small house on a decent sized block for our suburb. Owning the house - and garden - has been fantastic, and I'm progressing through different 'fads' while exploring the wonderful world of plants. So I have a few collections - and love it! I really enjoy hard-to-find plants and bulbs, especially older varieties and species. My collections include penstemons, liliums, euphorbias, lots of salvias, lots of bulbs and, of course, hippeastrums.

Apart from gardening, I love reading and have in the past also had fun with spinning and knitting, painting, basket weaving - I'll get back to those when time permits.

I take lots of photos but not of me - and I was going to wait until a new masdevallia opened to include that, but it's taking sooo long!

This is me just a few months ago... it's a crummy shot, taken on my husband's camera phone... at the doctor's office, no less!

I was a little fatigued that day... I look so haggard in the picture! The only other recent picture of myself shows me "gesturing" to the photographer, if you know what I mean... so I decided against using that one!

I've been gardening for as long as I can remember, and gardening indoors since I was a young teen. I originally got into Hippeastrum bulbs about 10 years ago, when I just had to have the boxed kit containing the same name as my American Bulldog, Minerva. We called her Minnie, for short. Minnie passed away a couple of years ago, but Minerva the bulb goes on, and was recently separated from her first large offset.

This is the "real" Minerva... Minnie for short... now deceased.

And this is Minerva, the bulb that blooms every spring, reminding me of my beloved Bulldog...

A few years ago, I came here to ask a few cultural questions, and the rest, as they say, is history! This is my online "family", and I treasure all the wonderful friendships I've made.

I found Hippeastrums and their culture to be so fun and easy that I began collecting them... and I thank everyone here for their patience and generosity in helping me to become the indoor gardener that I am today! My Amaryllid collection totals well over 75 different varieties and types! I live in a small jungle!

I'm finding this thread to be so very interesting and fun! It's a great opportunity to learn a little bit about all the newcomers, and a wonderful update on the lives of everyone I already "know"!

Rocky Mt. Ryan, those are heartwarming pictures of Daddy's Little Girl... she's just adorable! Any plans for a little brother or sister yet? ;-)

And Phoenix Ryan, I'm so glad you're getting your own little piece of gardening paradise! You must be reeling with all the gardening design possibilities! Great fun!

Kristi, your pictures are always so fabulous... you do have fun! And the always gorgeous Gordie (and Gordies)... I'm so glad you saved this one for posterity!

Lizalily, always a pleasure to see you and your family!

Jan, you look so elegant! I always love your garden photos!

Alana, cute little guy! I know he's happy, and fortunate, to have you in his life!

Donna, it's nice to learn a little more about you!

I'm so glad to "meet" everyone who recently joined us here! Thanks so much for sharing a little bit about yourselves and your lives... it's nice to have a little bit better of a mental picture of who we're all talking to!

Sonador, iluvneps, Helli, Therese, AJ, Rebecca, Judy, and Clancy... it's great to have you join us! And you lurkers, please don't stay hidden in the woodwork! Join us often! We love to hear about and see everyone's lovely bulbs and flowers!

Rebecca, your artwork is fantastic and colorful! Not weird... more abstract! I like it!

Judy, it's nice to hear from someone who understands the strange weather here in Illinois!

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone... but just in case I have... a big Welcome! It's a pleasure to meet you all!

I live on Galveston island Texas with my co-gardener. I've been gardening as long as I can remember. I asked for a willow tree for Christmas when I was 5.

Living on a sub-tropical island presents it's own gardening problems, overbearing heat in summer, rare freezes in winter, monsoon rains, droughts, salt spray, constant wind, hurricanes.... I grow mostly tropicals as they can handle the weather, most of the time. Everything is outside, mostly planted in the ground. I drag a few plants in once or twice a year but for the most part they are on their own.

Hurricane Ike flooded our yard with almost 4' of water for 12-48 hours. We evacuated the day before it hit, waves were splashing over the Seawall and streets were flooding at that time. I was the only member of my family to escape flooding in the house, it came 2" from being inside. We couldn't get any news, phone lines were down. My sister saw our cousin being rescued by fire truck on CNN. She had 3' of water in her second story, my Aunt had water to the roof, mom 3' and my brother had 9' in his elevated house. The first news we got showed the Balinese room, Hooters, Murdochs destroyed and then a report the high school behind the house had 4' of water in it. Since we were between these we feared the worse. The city made the situation unbearable by refusing to allow the RESIDENTS back on the island for over 2 weeks. Don't say FEMA to us, its a 4 letter word! The roofers set our house on fire doing repairs from Ike. Everyone I know was displaced. The island is still a big mess. My current hobbies include painting, caulking, waiting on electricians, plumbers, windows, carpenters, etc., installing flooring, scrubbing....LOL!

I'm addicted to plants and collect among others, hippis, crinums, cactus/succulents, weird plants, gingers, brugmansia, pink flowers, vines, palms....OK, I'm just a junkie!! My other 1/2 is into bonsai and anything that attracts butterflies or, well, he's a junkie too. We're both rock groupies having never met a rock we don't like. I met him at a plant swap. We have plants growing everywhere, there is no grass, plants on the roof of the porch, the neighbors porch, the alley....

Tally Ho!

Thanks for letting me say Hi.

Linda, welcome! Please join us more often! We'd love to see photos of your bulbs and other blooms! I'm also a beader! Unfortunately, my eyesight is starting to fail, and working with small Delicas and other seed beads is getting more and more difficult. Luckily, this year's styles include chunky beads and stones!

LOL! The house that plants ate! That is a pretty good description of the house. I gotta do the photobucket thing I guess, I just figured out how to get them on facebook.

Jodi, between being laid off <2 weeks before the hurricane, the hurricane, the fire, the plumber flooding the house on Friday...I'm tired of disasters! But it could be worse, noone is being treated for anything right now, my sisters house was on the Dover (DE) homes tour to great reveiws, mom is hyped up on steroids and cooking up a storm-yeah fudge!!!, my brother DOESN'T have a brain tumor, we all have jobs, the other brother gets to move back to his house.. The sun is out! AND WE HAVE HEAT IN THE DOWNSTAIRS!!! I'm so excited about the heater. The amaryllis are blooming.

It's all good.
Have a great day everyone!
Tally HO!

As some of you know I'm Dan, am 48 now ( I remember when I thought that was ancient) and have lived outside of Pittsburgh, PA in Gibsonia for the past 14.5 years.

I guess I first became interested in plants when young and saw some bonsai at the local nursery where I grew up in Vandercook Lake, Michigan. I tried to grow one then with my dads help, but failed of course!! I also grew a small veggie garden then even though I hated veggies...the rest of the family liked them and I liked growing them. I still have a couple of bonsai, but mostly grow Amaryllids (although very few Hippeastrum), Hyacinths (Ledebouria, Drimiopsis, etc from South Africa), aroids (Amorphophallus, Arisaema, Dracontium) and some caudiciforms from various places around the world. My incredibly lovely wife, Cathy puts up with my nonsense with a sense of humor when I bring up a plant to show off that she has no clue why I like it :o) I'm guessing I have 500+ pots in my ceramic garden, which I'm told is excessive, but everyone here can understand :o)

I have been very blessed to have 3 lovely children, now 19 (Caitlin), 16 (Emily) and 12 (Daniel) as well as 2 cats and 2 tortoise. My job as a professor has allowed me to travel a reasonable amount to prattle on about my research and the family has been able to come on many of these trips which makes everything more worthwhile as everyone here has indicated :o)

This pic is a couple of years old now, but hey, when you get to middle age you want to shave a couple of years :o)

I'm sure I've told you, but you're the main reason I got interested in Amaryllids other than Hybrid Hippis! And no, your collection is not excessive! Mine isn't quite that large yet, but I'm working on it! My family thinks I'm nuts, too... but they not only put up with me, they enable me!

This is turning out to be another great "Who Are You" thread! Thank you to everyone participating! :-)

Tally, I often remind myself that somewhere, someone has it so much worse than I do... and I'm grateful for what I DO have... my great family, my wonderful friends, my canine companions, and the ability to garden and enjoy Mother Nature. I am fortunate, indeed!

Jodi, great to finally put a face to wonderful words of advice you provide on this forum! Great idea to start this thread so we can all get to know each other better. And you are quite right, I've got so many ideas for my new yard, I have no idea where to start. But I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Dan, that bonsai is absolutely gorgeous!! Wow!

Thanks to everyone who has shared so far. Can't wait to read more.

Phoenix Ryan

It is always fun to hear about others experiences/lives so that you know who people are when they post......and if it enables others then all the better!!

I've had that elm bonsai for around 16 years now....collected in B'ham, AL when I was a member of the bonsai club there....no branches and no roots.....it wanted to live and I hopefully helped it along its path to survival :o) Dan

As they say... "Lord, grant me the strength to be the kind of person my dog THINKS I am, and my cat WANTS me to be!"

Isn't it funny how our pets choose us sometimes, and not the other way around? Out of her entire litter, Maia was the one to choose me! I didn't have a choice... I had to keep her! And the funny thing is, she chose me extremely early on, when she was very, very little!

Great cats, people! I so wish I weren't allergic! We have barn cats, though... so I do get to interact, as long as I wash my hands and don't touch my face! I'd be an itchy mess of hives, otherwise!

Bev, your garden shot is beautiful! A great-grandma... wow! That's so great!

Dan, I have a feeling you could turn any pathetic plant into a beauty! That bonsai is gorgeous! And huge... how do you move it around?

Ryan, working from a blank slate can be both daunting and tremendously fun! I'd begin by choosing a general style or feeling... and let the garden evolve from there. A word of advice, and I'm sure you already know... invest the work to properly dig and amend your soil... you'll be glad you did! And get a compost bin/pile started as quick as possible! :-)

This is one of my favorite garden shots, taken last May...

It'll look different next spring... I moved the birdbath and put in a rose... Betty Prior, to be exact! I can't wait to see how it looks next year!

Thank you, all... this is loads of fun! I love learning more about my fellow Hippi lovers than just what Hippis they have!

This is a lot of fun!

I tease Jodi about her mix and I'm eating sticks and twigs for breakfast. Go Lean Honey almond flax crunch. I swear it's the same stuff I use for kindling. I am SOOOO jealous of her iris in that picture. I could almost live in the frozen north land to grow iris.

BTW Jodi have you seen Hardwired? OMG!! We watched it last night. You have got to rent it if you haven't. Corporations run America.

Cute baby Bev, what ferry are you on? Love the garden it's gorgeous.

When people mope and moan around me I just laugh and say, let me tell you what happened THIS week! You can't just lay around and feel sorry for yourself that gets you nowhere. The fire was just another blip in the road. Eventually the house will be finished and look great, it didn't burn down and we have HEAT!! I'm a real weenie when it comes to temperatures. I left Skagway Alaska when mom was in the wreck and it was 33, landed in Houston 114. I prefer Houston. My mom is almost always in a good mood and happy so that has to be where it comes from.

Tally HO!
"I'm not really happy, it's a chemical imbalance"

Tally, the Ferry is on Mobile Bay, going from east to west. I live in Mobile so I am intimately acquainted with the hurricanes. Ivan hit us pretty hard several years ago.
I love your quote I'm not really happy, it's a chemical imbalance" and my garden helps keep me balanced!

Jodi, I don't feel like a Great-grandma, although if I had to take care of her for any length of time, I'm sure I would. They are in California, so not many chances.

I have enjoyed this thread and getting to know all of you.
Bev

I was a very little girl during those times. We lived between two rivers and by the bay in what used to be wetlands.

Camille was forecasted to come into Mobile Bay. Due to where we lived, we always evacuated for hurricanes, so we were safe. However, my Dad was a shrimper. He took his shrimp boat to Mississippi to ride the storm out.

Camille hit Mississippi hard. We worried that my Dad did not survive. Later, he told us stories about how he tied his shrimp boat to pine trees on both sides of a small river and ran the engines as hard as they would go. He and the boat made it through that hurricane.

During Hurricane Frederick, my Dad once again decided to ride it out. He with his shrimp boat and my uncle with his. Frederick was weird. The bay flooded, the boats over what is normally land, then the water was sucked out of the bay. Both boats were left high and dry on land. It took some time for us to be able to return home to check on them. Such relief, you will never know when we spotted our cousin on the little dirt road and he yelled, "We're okay! We are alive."

After that experience, my Dad said that he would never do that again. Indeed, during the next hurricane, he evacuated to my new home which was safe from flooding waters and a whole lot better than living in a hotel with many families stuck in a small room listening to the pounding and the howling of winds, wondering what would be left when everyone returned home.

No one really knows what they can be like, unless you have lived a lifetime doing your best to survive them.

Ann

My Uncle used to ride out every storm in his shrimp boat. In Carla he ended up on shore in North Galveston bay. Noone rode out the storm to my knowledge here on the boats, that area was very hard hit, several boats were sunk, some thrown up on land and a couple smashed to bits. Boats were everywhere when we got back, the highway was lined with them. That and dead animals everywhere, there were about 20-30 dead cows around the UTMB campus and there was a dead horse, cow and pig on East beach that finally rotted away.

Hopefully we will never have to go through such a bad storm again in our lives. Our population is down by 30-50% depending on who you talk to and more leaving every day.
Tally HO!

Tornadoes are the only real disaster to hit this area, and the odds of being in the immediate path of one are odds I can live with. Cold weather is good in many ways... it kills viruses and bacterias, culls the weak and sick in the wild, and we do have many plants that need a cold dormancy in order to bloom.

We watch the News in helpless horror as hurricanes make landfall, and though we gather items to send south in the aftermath, it never seems like enough.

I might be considered a tough country gal up here in rural farmland, but I have to give a lot of credit to southerners... you guys and gals sure know how to ride out Mother Nature's wrath, and keep those smiles! That takes a lot of gumption!

Tally, I recently watched "FOOD, Inc." ... not to be missed! The same message comes through loud and clear... America is run by corporations... he who has the most money runs the government, and the men and women who used to be called Statesmen are now just puppet politicians. Greed for money and power has taken over everything.

My Mom used to eat those "sticks and stones" breakfast cereals... like Grape Nuts... until she really read the labels and figured out they weren't so good for you, after all! Tally, I know you tease me about my "sticks and stones" mediums, but don't knock it till you've tried it! :-) I swear, they really work! And I'm pretty sure we could find a mixture for you, too! :-)

Bev, I always say that age is just a number... but some days, I feel really high up in those numbers! I'm a 48 year young Grandma, with tattoos and piercings... I'll never fit the norm, anyway!

Keep it going... this is great! :-)

I'm also mostly a lurker here on this forum, and have mostly the commonly found hippies in my small collection. I'm very appreciative of how generous everyone is here. I'm 56, and have done lots of gardening in lots of places having grown up in Ohio, lived in Denver, Tempe AZ, Buffalo NY, Spokane WA, Flagstaff AZ, San Diego CA, and now Spearfish SD. So I really like to hear what people are doing in places all over the map. Here I am canoeing for my 25th anniversary.

Indoors I have cacti, some african violets (Did you know that the world's teeny-tiniest amount of african violet seed can turn into 45 violets in a short time? My astonishment at this happening is where my screen name came from) I have mostly things that bloom in the house that can put up with is being cool and dry, and things that can rest in the winter inside like calla lillies. I have three vegetable gardens, some fruit trees, raspberries, and flowers around the front of the house. I have a xeri garden out on the corner boulevard.

And here is the only thing that grows outside here that is anything like an amaryllis. They were growing under the lilacs and never bloomed, so I moved them out into the sun and two years later here is what I got:

The encouragement, information, and general good cheer is like a tonic. Thanks everyone.

Barb

Barb

We lived in Kansas when I was a kid, drought, heat, blizzards, tornadoes-1 hit the house in the country, one jumped the house in town, school was destroyed, Kansas is prime tornado country. I can't handle cold weather. I like heat, lots and lots of heat. Like a lizard.
Tally HO!

After retiring from US Navy Deep Sea Diving, I now work and live just south of Houston Texas where I wear a lot of hats working for a small, aggregates type, company.

"bluebonsai" (Dan) and I seem to grow a lot of the same stuff. Trying to downsize my collection, I think the snow and freeze helped with that :O
54, Divorced, 2 college kids, 1(scaredy cat) guard cat.

Jodi, you may have noticed the guy next to that bonsai is pretty good size.....he can lift it with an incredible amount of effort, but not for many more years I'm sure!!

Tally, what are you looking for in terms of aroids? I haven't imported any aroids from overseas for quite some time and after many years many of mine decided my climate stunk......I could have told them that a long time ago!! If you would like some good ol' Am. konjac or Sauromatum venosum or some offsets of Am. albus I always have lots of those....just send me a note!! I still have many others, but they rarely if ever offset in my zone with the short seasons.

There are many times I wished I lived in a more hospitable climate, but I must admit, the one thing we do not have is any really serious weather.....rarely tornadoes, too far from anywhere wet to have hurricanes, and we do not get the snow that many on the east coast or further north in the lake effect zone get......of course, our outdoor growing season is about 3-4 months long which is a bummer!

Pat, I envy your ability to grow so many spectacular plants outside.....that would be awesome....except for the heat and humidity of course :o)

Kristi, that swim with the dolphin must have been awesome.

Such a complete measure to meet you all :o) Dan

I'm Katherine, known as Kate (which rhymes with "late" as well as describes my post on this thread). I'm 21 (whoo!) and I go to college at Spring Hill, the Jesuit College of the South :). I am an Accounting major, Finance minor and I'll graduate In May then it's off to grad school at home (Chattanooga, TN). Plants (bamboo, to orchids (phals), to hippies) are my most recent obsession. I LOVE making jewelry (NOT making "beads" as some say) out of Swarovski crystal beads. I also crochet and scrapbook when I have time.

I also... am a night owl ...love reading anything I can put my hands on... have really weird pet peeves (shoes on furniture, people who can't drive, reindeer antlers and a nose on cars)... am a noncompetitive gymnast (once a gymnast, always a gymnast)... LOVE the Olympics, as well as sweet tea and Country music (c'mon, what's better than a good ol' down home song from the heart with a little banjo pickin'? haha)

I have quite a few hippies now...
2 Red Lions (both rescued)
1 Apple Blossom (rescued)
1 "Unknown" (hasn't bloomed yet)
1 Supposed Piquant (we'll soon find out)
2 Seeds with leaves
10 Seeds that will hopefully join in growing leaves

Also...
2 Phals (dunno the types yet, I'm working on it...)
2 Lucky Bamboo stalks
4 Bulbs of Paperwhites that should get growing here soon
?? Alyssum seeds that are growing like CRAZY
5 Spruce seeds that are working on growing

I'm Carl, native to the Ruhr Area, the big megalopolis of Central Europe, now studying in the more rural North-East Germany.
Things work a little different here on a university compared to the States, my field of study is landscapeecology and I really began to get interested in plants with my first botany lectures. I've always had some plants but left most of the work in the garden to my father, now I regret this a bit.
I am going to have a small allotment together with a couple of friends in my university town. My main interest are still Hippeastrum and especially breeding with them.
I have seedlings from may 2007 that hopefully are ready to bloom when they get out of the cellar in January, more seedlings from this year will hopefully withstand the care of my flatmate who looks after them for the winterholidays.

Apart from that I don't have much to tell, music is another big interest of mine. I usually like strange and for most people straining tunes. And for me music needs to be fast and out of the common. ;)

Pat do you ever come our plant trades? Mercer or Galveston county? If not you should. It's a lot of fun. Mercer is twice a year and Galveston County is in the spring. Yadda organizes a Ft.Bend trade late summer.

Dan, all my aroids died. I was really surprised. A lot of the konjacs, etc. were in the ground. They were just about to go dormant. All the ee's and philos died also. But the amorphs really surprised me, I thought the bulbs underground would do fine, the hippis did and most other bulbs survived. But we were just surprised as to what did survive. Every norfolk pine on the island made it, they didn't fall over, lose branches or have any damage.

betonklatz my musical taste has always been loud, heavy and fast. Headbanger stuff. Never was a fan of Karen Carpenter or that genre of music. That and good 'ole Texas music like Delbert McClinton, I'll howl along with it.

It ain't the heat, it's the heat AND the humidity. Ya gotta be part lizard to live in this area. Which explains fur coats in 60 degree weather.

Tally HO!

I hope our seasons "As I see it." Helps you to get to know me a little bit better.
Our summer: You're not going to beat the Cape. You'll be lucky if you can even book a room. I recommend you try not getting to lost in there many beach front views only to end up driving past there very many and very colorful Hydrangeas trying to find that room, cause the bed and breakfast places often have real good food.
For autumn the state of Mass doesn't even rate second best when it comes to outdoor leafy colors we are a wee bit shy of second best. I won't be saying where the better of them are though, I do have a pretty good idea of where number one is. We have a two hour more or less head start on the quick driving Cape Cod departing seasons traffic as they do empty out quite quickly not all my little secrets are going to be shared.
I don't dislike our cold and snowy winters. The added charm of white laying on the pines while holding the branches down as the red colored bird tries to eat the ice in the bath after snacking on the hips. The sounds of the children that go sliding down the freshest hills of snow, the ducks that can't really skate while stumbling acrost the pond. I think we can call a tie for first place in snow. I will wave a white flag and I do hope they see it and hands for the Rocky Mountain areas expressing my final thought. "You guys can keep it as deep as you want it and as long as you want it. " Which only brings us back to spring which is in some of the pictures in there own lovley way.
We as neighbors, Take turns with the vases as we bring them to church we try to look out for each other in our own formal way. Yes we do paaahhhk dah caaahhh in HHaaavaad Eyaaaad cause we don't like to drive in Wooosssttaaahhh

Re-spell: We park the car in Harvard Yard cause we don't like to drive in Worcester <<< it's kind of important to say this right if your ever lost on the cape and is also my sence of humor.
God Bless you all
Linda

Save the oldies like me (LOL) from posting pics again. Thanks!

Anyway, this is the "latest of me". My first grandbaby,
Summer Carlyle

I'm Sally, 44yrs (don't consider myself old one bit!) I have worked with the elderly for sometime and don't truly think you're old 'til 90. (and then you deserve to be prideful over it!) I'm a nursing student (listening to all you RNs) grew up on a farm 10 miles from the Canadian border, and currently reside in the city. I garden inside all winter and outside all summer.

Right now I'm on break which is lovely, although I work too. For some reason my hippies which are sposed to be sleeping are putting up scapes! I put mine into dormancy in order to have space. I do have a slew of hippie babies, some quite large which I am growing under lights.

I started growing hippies seriously in 2004-2005 (my winter lable) and pollinated/planted in 2005-2006. Last spring I got my first blooms from pretty unimpressive crosses- excellent nonetheless! I have a huge space problem, and I have alot of plants! I put my hippies outside all summer and always get blooms on my old plants. I am lucky not to have the nasty bulb fly here (yet!). I do have problems with the microscopic tarsonomid(sp?)mite and neem and imidacloprid made no diff. I intend to experiment with hot water baths over my school break as a harmless method (I hope) of eradication. Kristie was kind enough to give me tips and I will share successes and failures here.

My boyfriend and I have 4 cats between the 2 of us. I love everyone's animals and kid-pics! Isn't Rocky Mountain Ryan's baby just adorable too!!

Oh- I live in Mn and am soooo jealous of those who live in the south for their gardens. I have always liked the north woods and the isolation, but I'm seriously thinking the south would be the place to garden!

First... Maria, Summer is awesome! What a sweetheart! Being a Grandma is the best! :-)

I'm so glad to "meet" you all! And I'm really having a great time reading the updates and afterthoughts! Thank you for expounding on initial posts!

Although I haven't had a chance to travel outside the US much, I've been very fortunate to see most of the 48 contiguous States as a semi co-driver... My ex-husband and I were owner-operators, and I saw the USofA through the window of a big rig! And what a country it is! We have the best of everything within our borders, including mountains' majesty complete with icy winter roads... huge cities with the tallest buildings and the worst traffic... relaxing beaches, painted deserts, amber waves of grain in fields as far as the eye can see... and every other vista one can imagine!

The advent of the internet brought the world a little closer together... made it a little smaller... and now I have friends all over the globe... including Germany, Viet Nam, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and other beautiful places! I would love to visit many of those places some day!

Tally, you and I have more in common than I would have guessed... I love your pink locks! I have blue, hot pink, and red hair dyes just waiting to be tried out!

My musical tastes run the gamut from heavy metal to rap, and I love the blues... my favorite music is the 80's Hair Rock... you know the stuff... Def Leppard, Guns & Roses, etc... I'm listening to "Staind" as we speak... I love my Ipod! And I love that my son filled it with such great music for me!

Pat, that's a great picture... you remind me of Sam Elliot, one of my favorite actors! My ex was Navy... USS Truxton, WestPac during the early 80's.

I've done so much within my lifetime... from milking cows on a dairy farm to directing traffic as an auxiliary Police Officer, and a little bit of everything in between! It's been a helluva ride! I was born in small town USA, lived in the big city for a short time, and came back to the country! I love the slower pace, the wide open spaces, and the opportunity to have the animals and gardens I love.

My life's biggest challenge has been raising three stepchildren... and what a rewarding challenge it was/is! Not right away, mind you... those rewards didn't come until the kids were grown and began having children of their own!

This is my favorite "Grandma" picture... me and Bryce, my daughter's son, taken a couple of years ago... I just love spoiling the little ones, and what better way than with a little yummy chocolate!

Besides the current litter of pups, we have just the two Oldies, Maia and Huck... the days of a large yard filled with American Bulldogs and Olde Bulldogges totaling over 40 are over. Sometimes, it's good to be retired... and here I am, retired, and taking care of a huge kennel filled with Rhodesian Ridgebacks! It's part of our rental agreement.

I'm actually very fortunate to live where I do... after the house fire, we ran into a lot of red tape and BS, and lack of enough funds, preventing us from rebuilding... and so, we took up an invitation from a very old and dear friend to come move in and be caretakers of a large country estate.

There are horses, goats, peacocks, ducks, chickens, dogs, cats, a kennel and barn, and a separate hunting lodge overlooking a large creek. We occupy the upper floor of the main house... a one-room apartment with four large window alcoves and cathedral ceilings. We have a partial kitchen, and access to all the downstairs amenities.

I take care of the kennel and do all the gardening/yard work, and Larry keeps all the electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and technological items in good working order. It's a great situation for a partially disabled couple.

On days when I have trouble getting out of bed, and I'm feeling sorry for myself, I just think of the fact that under different circumstances, we could be homeless. Without our wonderful circle of steadfast friends and family, we could be just another statistic.

And then, my thoughts turn to all the wonderful, generous friends I've made right here, in this Forum. Without the encouragement and generosity of so many, I wouldn't have become such an accomplished indoor gardener, and I wouldn't have the fabulous collection of bulbs and friendship plants that I cherish so much!

Yep... my life has definitely been Blessed... I am fortunate, indeed!

You'll forgive my rambling, please... insomnia is one of those things that gives the mind time to wander... I hope I haven't wandered too far! :-)

">

We wish that our grand daughter took up more of our time but she lives across the country in Toronto. We do fly there as often as we can (we're leaving for there in less than 48 hours!) but....

">

Back to amaryllis. I have approximately 20; grown mostly under lights in our basement but I am doing some in the greenhouse now as well.

My collection includes an old Orange Sovereign bulb that started it all 26 years ago when a student in the first class I ever taught gave it to me. My collection is not very exotic: Red Lion, Apple blossom, Giraffe, Orange Sovereign, Picassa and several unamed white varieties from supermarkets. The collection is growing, however, and currently I am looking for the darkest red variety that I can find.

One thing that I enjoy is giving to family and friends the same potted bulb every year, just as the flower scape is starting to emerge, and then taking it back to care for it after flowering, getting it ready to return again in winter. I do that with about 6 now and people really seem to look forward to getting their amaryllis every year. In one case it has happened for nearly 10 years.

I have enjoyed lurking on this forum, learning a great deal and occasionaly contributing a question. Thankyou to the generous contributors such as Jodi & Maria. BTW, I recall reading long, helpful contributions from a man in Germany. Was his name Hans? Anybody know what happened to him?

Bob

Nice meeting you all and I wish you all the joy of the season and a blessed 2010!!!

Nursing is a different profession. There are a lot of rewards and a lot of just plain stupid crap involved. It's a 24 hour profession with little regard to your personnal life. The administrators always talk a good talk with "magnet hospitals" etc etc. but the fact is as a nurse you work your posterior off, get little respect, OK salary and you give up a lot. On the other hand you always have a job and blood doesn't bother you.

My hairdresser, that sounds so funny coming from me!, put the extensions in when she cut my hair. First haircut in over 12 years. Usually the stuff is lucky it's been brushed and is pulled back in a ponytail.

Tally HO!
Tally HO!

Tally, my husband has been my hairdresser for as long as I've known him! He does all the coloring, but I do go into town to get it cut. There are a lot of thankless jobs out there, and I think one of the biggest is Nurse. Mom would be right up there, too!

There's nothing quite like a baby's first Christmas... your family will have so much fun, Maria! In our family, Christmas is for the children... they're the ones who get all the gifts... we don't buy anything big or extravagant for the adults... just for the little ones!

I do believe you mean Hans... he hasn't posted in quite a while. I miss seeing all his seedlings and his pretty flowers! He's quite knowledgeable, and I always read his posts, learning a little more. I hope I didn't chase him away with the way I tend to ramble!

A Happy Christmas to All!

Ryan in Phoenix, congratulations on your new home. How exciting! After seeing the Maguries order spreadsheet, I had a feeling you were an accountant.

My name is Jennifer. I’m a 37 year old house wife who‘s hoping to start a family soon. (Why did we wait so long!?) Before staying home, I did internet development and data maintenance work for a law firm then a publishing company. I grew up in the country with livestock and learned to garden from my grandmother who lived next door.

For years, I was a typical amaryllis consumer who tossed bulbs onto the compost pile after blooming. A co-worker suggested I try to re-bloom two Apple Blossom. Last year I posted the pictures here because I didn’t know their ID, developed a bad case of chad, and now I’m one of you. Current bulb count is 12 (with more loaded on Santa’s sleigh).

I’m fortunate to be married to an adorable, easy going, extremely handy and hardworking gentleman. We live in west Cleveland, in a neighborhood with many Arab businesses and neighbors. Since October, I’ve been studying Arabic and can write/recite the alphabet and carry on simple conversations. Our lot is frustratingly small but it has improved my container gardening skills. This summer, I picked up freelance landscape work by volunteering to maintain two flower beds at a busy intersection near my home. People began asking for business cards. I’m blessed with a sunroom, currently filled with brugmansia, peppers, lisianthus and amaryllis. There are dormant fig trees in the attic.

Here’s our Boxer, Panda - an 8 yr. old walk-a-holic who shows no signs of slowing down. She enjoys getting my goad by hurdling seedlings that are being hardened off and pretending to eat house plants.




Below is my dear husband and myself vacationing in Snowshoe, WV. We’d like to buy land in WV (somewhere quiet and pitch dark) where we can leave our newly refurbished camper which is currently taking up precious container garden space.



Just a few of my favorite garden pics

INteresting to see how many of us have an adored doggy who must be shared in pics too (She said, with her laptop on top of a Gordon Setter sleeping in her lap!) Something about growing things as our companions!

Jodi...great idea to start this thread (har har har - inside joke between the 2 of us). I think it's good to know more about the people that you are conversing with, debating, and advising than just their screen name!
;-) (that's me winking at Jodi...)
Kristi

PS excuse the typos please I am just do darn tired

Linda, if you still need help getting images to show up, here's the thread for you. It may be somewhat overfilled with posts, but your questions will can probably be served there best ;)

Bob: Hans still roams the internet but he's not as active as he used to be.

I left most of my plants at my parents when I moved out because I at first couldn't take care for any of them but my seedlings that didn't do well at first. Last winter I finally bought a lot of the varieties I wanted for a long time now. My collection is now the following:
White x red seedlings x14, Orange Sovereign, Minerva, Supreme Garden ~x8, Sydney, Amputo x3
Seedlings from this year: Minerva x white, Sidney x SG, SG x Sydney, Sydney x Amputo
The bulbs that haven't bloomed jet (but that may open their flowers before I'm in my flat again) are: H. reticulatum, Picotee, H. papilio and Emerald.

I'd love to share but I can only send pollen or seeds. If you'd love crosses of the following, I'd like to pollinate them for you.

Have a great day everyone.

Tally HOHOHO!

And his real motivation for the additon ( he wishes too.) Continuing with our lives together. We're 33 years married we where also highschool sweet hearts. During our time together we have a few collections, some of it is just junk and if so it is going. Our house is paid for including the new addition. As it is the house has been busting out of the seams for a while now we realy do need the added space. (Men and there toys where do they find the time) The two adult childern still live at home Daughter 24 Son 19. From me if your a young man intereseted in making me a grandmom I would say yes in a country second. I fairly need to remind you I have a pit bull/ x recon USMC for a husband and she is daddys lil girl. So much for me being a grandmom which is not why he is going to get that new space either. I am still the master of my dog. Nursing news There where 3 new Christmas babies in my hands last night all in very good bouncy baby health :)
Thank-You for the blue line help betonklotz I am crossing my fingers.

Living in such a harsh summer climate forces me to do a lot of container gardening as well (so I can move them into shady spots when Mother Nature leaves the heat on full blast!). I'm going to have to rent a moving truck just to take all my pots over to the new house! Heck, it might take two trips! LOL

Tally, I love Delbert McClinton! I, too, love all types of music... country, pop, rock, alt., classical, jazz... you name it, I probably like something from each genre. The internet does a great job of helping obscure artists develop a following. I drove Santa nuts this year trying to find some very random CD's that I was hoping would be left under the tree for me.

Phoenix Ryan

Yes, I'm exceedingly glad I started this thread... and it's a great time of year for it, too! (A wink and hug for Kristi!)

Great to meet you, Jennifer! As a huge fan of the Mollossor Group, I like Panda very much! My husband and I have spent the last 30 years or so deeply involved in Performance American Bulldogs and Olde English Bulldogges... not to be confused with the English Bulldog, which is a genetic mess, as far as I'm concerned! The only small breed we ever worked with was the American Tunnel Terrier, a go-to-ground vermin hunter, not unlike the Rat Terrier, Jack Russel, or the Patterdale.

I love your plant photos! Especially the silver and white arrangement and the picture to the far right... what is that? Is it a Hibiscus? It's very cool!

Welcome, Newbud! It sounds as though you're going through the typical excitement and melee of building a home addition... but extra space is always welcome! I wish I had more, myself! Being crammed in a one room apartment with a husband, dogs, and all these plants is certainly challenging!

Music... I can listen to almost anything... except country! That's where I draw the line! ;-) But seriously... hard rock and heavy metal are favorites... rock ballads are awesome, if not outdated... and I can even tolerate Insane Clown Posse, my son's favorite music!

On the way north right before Christmas, we listened to whatever radio station would come in... driving through the middle of nowhere... and we heard our first Christmas song of the season... Winter Wonderland. It was extremely nostalgic, and we just smiled at each other... memories of a simpler time...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas... or whichever Holiday your family celebrates... and I hope for a good 2010 filled with love and happiness... and lots of Hippeastrum blooms! :-)

I'll keep you all posted. One more great thing about this is...I may finally get my small greenhouse because space will allow. Wish us luck.

And you know... with 12 acres... you could slowly spread out a little... and let small garden areas evolve. Shade gardens are very lovely! I could picture a few well placed Hostas and other shade perennials delineating the forest edge...

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you... I hope you get the house of your dreams!

Getting back into the swing of working... especially a nursing job... will take a bit of time. But I'm so glad you're accomplishing the goals you set! That's so awesome!

Welcome to Garden Web!!
Kristi

I live in south of Finland, in a small village in the country, surrounded by corn fields and woodland. Here's the road that goes by our house -

and Esther is there too, she's our lovely nine-year-old. Photo was taken in winter 2011.

October 2012, in the woods nearby, Esther and "the baby", 8-month-old Tessa:

Our yard in the summer -

Thank you all for a great forum!!

Winter 2011-2012

Thanks for the lovely picture perfect postcard photos!! And, it looks like you live Paradise!!
It's really great to meet you!!
Your dogs and your flowers are beautiful and I'll just bet your hubby is handsome too!!

Donna

I'm new to this group but not new to growing hippies and stuff. I'm 50 and I live in Cambridge with my partner Arlen and our kids (Kitty - Fluffernutter & Woofer - Piccolina the Dachshund). I'm confirmed plant lunatic (that's just few more steps than a plant nut). I have lived in Cambridge since 1967 and I don't think I could remember a time that I didn't have bulbs, hippies and other plants in my life. I credit my Grandmother for passing along the green thumb gene to me and my Dad as well. I think the "addiction" has only gotten worse as I've gotten older, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very blessed to have a wonderful grapevine covered patio that most of my plants can enjoy their summer under and a heated sun porch that holds "most" of them for the winter and space has run out a long time ago!!! The picture attached is of my partner and I (I'm the one on the right) and the othe one is of the kids.

Thank you for the wonderful words. I really enjoyed reading through this string and learning all about the folks on this forum. Life really is good!!!

Warm Hugs and Regards,
Fred

PS...see Northern Lights in next post!

I was so lucky to see the Northern Lights 3 of the 6 nights in Iceland (March 2012). The other 3 nights it was too cloudy!

I want to see them again...they are amazing!
:-)
K

We do see the Northern Lights here. I remember one winter in particular, when was it, 2000-something anyway, it was like there would have been a dome of lights above us, ever-changing... I'll never forget it, it was a truly out-of-this-world experience.

I've been a poster at this forum since this post was up but didn't know why I missed it :)

Xuan

I have actually been attracted to growing hippeastrum since Christmas 2006 when I was given an Orange Sovereign bulb. So it's merely seven years now :)

At the beginning I could only buy local species like Apple blossom, Orange sovereign, Red star, Vittatum...etc. For the last couple of years, a group of friends and I have enlarged our collection with join orders from Royal Colors and Edensblooms.

I also have received seeds from Ann and Donna and seedlings from Maria, Jodik on this forum, too. My collection is truly...international! :)

I grow my plants in a different climate than most of yours and I have to "force" them in order to induce blooms. Right now I have about 30+ bulbs sleeping to be wake up for Lunar New Year celebration in early February 2013.

The photo shows the bulbs sleeping in the fridge :)

When the bulbs wake up and bloom, I will surely share photos.

Xuan

I am kavitha. I love amaryllis. I buy them every year and lose so many of them. I am a mom of 2 little boys who keeps me busy all the time.

Here is my collection few years ago. I made them bloom all at one time. From that year, I planned to have at least one bloom anytime.

I love indoor plants and tropical fragarent plants. I have started my yard with native plants. I do veggie garden too. I will take photos of my collection and upload photos.

I have to say....the varigated clivia in your album is AMAZING!! When it blooms...if you have a spare seed or two!! (hint hint)!! Or....where did you get it (you and I are both in zone 8).

:-)
Kristi

I have ordered clivia on eBay from china (lovablechina). I still have the mentioned clivia, but not as good as it was. It hasn't bloomed yet. If it sets seeds, I can definitely share with you. I do have clivia mulan Daruma, which flowered this year, last year and before. I should have last year's seeds. If I don't find them, I can share this year's seeds. I used to have good collection of clivia too. I still have one regular variegated, 5 variegated (the one you have mentioned), fukurin, mulan daruma. My kids and dogs pull the plants out of pots. Surprisingly I don't find the plant anywhere in my yard once they pull the plant out of the pot. Whenever my kids see me pulling the weed in the yard, they wants to help me and pulls the plants from pots. If I think of it now, it's a very sweet memory, but at that moment, I get so mad at them.

I had 2 little kids (3+ years old & 1+ year old). Since last 3 years I am busy with them. I am not getting time to do much to plants with little kids,dogs and job. I do have huge collection of tropical plants. I have left my bulbs outside during the winter. Only few of them survived. This year again I have got few more. I order them from johnscheepers and easytogrowbulbs. They both are very very good source. I get really good size bulbs. Hopfully from this year, I don't lose any of my plants.

You can see my plant collection in one of the photos in the album. Now that whole area is full. Now there is no place for any other plant. All the kitchen counters are full, bathrooms are full. Still wants to have more plants.

That photo you posted of all your amaryllis is just amazing!! Congratulations..hopefully your little darlings haven't yanked them all out of their pots and you still have a few left!
I seem to remember the name "bunti" did you post sometime in the past or maybe I saw it on the clivia forum.

Please feel free to share your pictures of your amaryllis as they bloom for you this year, we would all love to see them!

Donna

Wonderful photos, everyone!

I'm so ashamed... I need to make more time to come here...

Kristi, you look so happy and you fit in so well, whether swimming in Cabo, or braving the cold in Iceland! I don't know how you manage! :-)

I've really missed you all... I've just kind of been slowly falling apart physically, and can't manage as much in one day as I used to. I've been following politics a little closer, reading up on our global climate, and mourning the loss of my giant Minerva bulb and her equally large daughter.

Anyway... enjoyed this thread brought back to the surface... it's so neat to look back, even a couple of years, and for me and my poor memory, it's a great thing to reread! Thanks!

Bayer makes a good systemic granular for NBF. It's a multipurpose product that includes fertilizer.
K

I'm very familiar with NBF... and now use a systemic on absolutely everything in a pot, and in some areas of the gardens... though zone 5b isn't conducive to Amaryllid growth in the garden unless I want to dig them every year, and I just don't!

Welcome!

I guess I'll have to dig up a more recent photo of myself... I'm usually the one behind the camera taking the pictures at family events, so I'm not in a lot of them.

Welcome to all newcomers! It's good to have everyone here! :-)

I'm all of 51, but I feel ancient many days. I have lupus, and permanent injuries from an auto accident, and live in chronic pain. But I'm still alive, and I have a lot to be thankful for. Gardening keeps me moving, and my grandchildren and family remind me how truly lucky I am. As far as I know, this is the only known photo of my husband on the net... he's rather shy... this is us with our eldest son's two children, Abby and Caleb. We were all camping the weekend this was taken, just this past summer.

Donna

I keep drooling over orchids, myself, but it's way too dry where I grow to attempt more than the two I've managed to keep alive! I have a mini Den and an Ansellia that still show some green. I'd have better luck with cacti, I tell ya!

So, tell us about your orchids! What types are your favorites? Inquiring minds want to know!

This is Rosie, one of Maia's daughters... and my bed buddy! She's not as undershot as the photo makes her look... normally, there's just a single snaggle tooth sticking out! I can't get near her with the camera, though... she won't just sit normally, and I can't sneak up on her!

Orchids have gotten to be a real Passion with me, and the Cattleya is one of my faves:) Also the slipper type [paphs and phrags are so cool :) both types are so easy to grow. I have two catts in bloom, and wake up every morning with the beautiful rosie, floral scent:) Must admit it was hard at first,to get them to rebloom, but then Jim built me two plant shelves in the south windows, and now, they bloom every year, Its Wonderful:) I've got a couple [he he]pics in the orchid forum, but am sharing the current bloomers here on my Fav forum:))

Beetle, in the world of bulldogs, which are non-AKC, aesthetics like coat length are not a fault. We're more interested with what's under the hood, so to speak, than the paint job! Temperament, balance of drives, ability, heart, etc...

I think your dogs are both lovely!

I've actually heard that certain catt crosses in orchids can tolerate a little drier home environment, so I'm always keeping my eyes open for something in that range. I've got a great east window, but I fear the south is too cold in winter, being in a stairwell over an outer door.

One of these days... I'll finally get to a place where I can create the right environment for the things I really want to grow... I'm hopeful, anyway!

Finally! Caught her napping yesterday!

Yes you could grow and probably bloom a Catt in your conditions :) Unless your window was freezing, a Cattleya can withstand a bit of cool temps. [and drier, as you know:))

Your Rosie is so Sweet [always loved brindles]....actually, the Japanese Akita can be brindle, only four colors allowed ...white ,sesame, red and white and brindle :) Sorry to ramble Jodi, I know we are both die hards for our breed of choice LOL.

As I'm sure I've mentioned at some point, we do not deal with AKC, UKC, or any of the mainstream registries when it comes to dogs. The bully world has its own registries, and I believe black is the only color an American Bulldog cannot be. There is no such thing, though breedings have been tried. Faults are few... but as a working breed, more things are involved, as you know.

Rosie is an Olde English Bulldogge, not to be confused with the AKC English Bulldog... which we consider to be generally a genetic mess. Rosie's breed is a recreation of the Bulldogge of old. Again, very few faults are noted... as long as the dog remains within the general parameters set by the standard. Rosie is considered a mid-sized working breed, with a majority of qualities found "under the hood".

Yes, we do love our dogs! LOL!

I've got my eye on some of the mini-catts, for orchids... something in the Bl or Blc family... "Yellowbird" is supposed to tolerate dry conditions nicely, I've heard.

I,ve seen Yellow bird on line. That one might just be a great one to start.....evil smile inserted. Some times , you can find Catts in grocery stores. I found a real beauty several years ago, Chocolate drop, Towering Inferno. Wish you luck searching for them :)

I would imagine, much like Rosie, yours love to get out and run, burn off some of that excess energy!

When our kids were really little, the old man used to hook up a small sleigh to one large American Bulldog to pull the kids around in the snow... they loved it!

I keep looking, but the groceries around here don't carry much beyond Phals, the occasional Oncid, or Cyms... and I think a lot of folks just enjoy the blooms and then pitch the dying plants. I've yet to see a Catt offered, but have seen a few Dens... so who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky one day! Thanks! I'm always looking!

What a nice thread. It's great to be able to put faces to names, and to learn a little more about each of you.

I'm Amanda. I'm an old-old timer, posting thoughts and questions about Hippeastrum on the GW bulbs forum before this forum existed. (We had to walk five miles in the snow, uphill both ways, in order to post back then, and all... ;) )

I always appreciate the inspiration, advice and camaraderie on this forum. I've had times of posting quite a lot here. Various life events have kept me away from the forum, and my plants, for a year or more, now, but I'm very happy to be back--and with a seedling (Exotica x Blossom Peacock) about to bloom for the first time. Although I don't know how frequently I'll be able to join in the conversations (life is still having those darned events), I'm looking forward to being on here more than I have been over the past year.

I live one town over from Amaryllis Fred, with two very fluffy cats. I grow my hippies in a small, urban condo, and on the roof of my building in the warmer months. I've been growing these plants for a while--20 years or so. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd have a lot of trouble but I might pick aulicum. I also grow aroids and a few other tropicals indoors. I have a tiny outside garden, too. It's just waking up: Hellebores in bud and the first snowdrops blooming today. So exciting.

You can read a bit more about me (and see a picture) on my blog, if you're curious. It's not a gardening blog, but if you scroll down a couple entries, you can read more about my budded hippie seedling.

Thank you all for making this such a good forum to visit.

Amanda

My name is My. I live in Richmond, CA. I recently got interested in planting bulbs after ordering a bunch of hyacinths and tulips from Van Englen, then I found out about Amaryllis bulbs and this friendly and informative forum and have been ordering a bunch of bulbs from Eden Blooms! And yet I still browse Ebay for amaryllis seeds haha. I guess I just contracted CHAD :) The flower's beauty just took hold of me again. When I was 10 or 11, my brother and I had a small garden with orchids and ferns, but my treasured pet was this red amaryllis. It was the world's most magical flower that went along with an awesomely long Vietnamese name "tứ diện hướng lan," meaning "orchid facing four directions", although it's not an orchid.

Anyway, I'm 30 now and have 2 supremely inventive bunnies, Abungadi and Peter, who find every which way to get in my garden (they learned to high-jump over, chew holes or use their weight to press down the flimsy fence and also skip up chairs and table to get to the plants on the windowsill). I have many casualties in the herb and chard departments, but they are too cute, so I can only smile and bring them more food :) Well, thank God,they're not interested in my new amaryllis bulbs (poisonous for them anyways). So it seems that the Amaryllis clan and the bun gang will coexist peacefully for another day. On the plus side, I have an overabundance of bunny poop pellets, high in nitrogen contents and phosphorus, which makes an excellent fertilizer and attracts earthworms. If anyone wants some, you're welcome to pick up these bunny droppings for your garden.

I'm a bit nervous and excited each day when I come out and check on the little scapes showing on my newly planted bulbs. I hope to learn more from everyone here on how to take care of amaryllis correctly and hopefully do some crossing in the future :)

Please don't hesitate to ask question and post pictures of your blooms, as we all love to see everyone's pictures.

Your bunny is just adorable and yes the bunny "pellets" are a great source of fertilizer, lucky you!..Donna

Please add an email to your page so I can send you a private email re: some offerings.

Welcome to the group.

Kristi

I am looking for San Antonio Rose to buy or for postage, if anybody out there want to share. :) SAR look like she will be a great hippi mama!

Summer with Yoya's flowers - April 2013

Donna

I think I missed this topic!
Well let's start from the beginning. My name is Robert, I'm almost 26 (my birthday is in July) and live in small, charming town near Cambridge, England with my friends. I come from Poland, but I'm half German. I moved to Uk since I don't have a family of my own and I pursued the dream to find a better place to live so I finished college, worked really hard and learned English since I was 5. I have a quite happy life now, surrounded by warm and kind people.
Amaryllises were for me as long time as I remember a thing of interest, something distant and hard to see. But I really first got myself into this love and passion this year. In January I had been been diagnosed with symptoms of melanoma, which is skin cancer. And to fight the depression and to somehow occupy my mind I bought a poor, half frozen bulb from a local street market. One of the last two the had after Christmas. Few weeks later CHAD attacked and I got another 14 bulbs.
Gardening and plants was always my love, probably something I have after my father who was a agriculture specialist.
My doctors said it's a good idea to take care of such plants, it takes mind of problems and the blooms are a wonderful gift.
Recently I had a surgery for mole removal and biopsy. And now I'm waiting for any news from the hospital. Besides the plants I'm in great love in literature, history, photography, science, music and much more. When I can I draw and write. My biggest dream is to finish and publish a novel.

And I'm really happy to be a part of this forum :)

And this is me :

Don't worry about the single picture posting, others do it too and now I know why!

Donna